Vandals

Although I live in Calgary, this is my first post featuring an Alberta homestead. Why, you ask? Because for every house I find in Alberta, I find three or four in Saskatchewan, so naturally they add up a little faster. 

I visited this little place with my mom on one of our day trips, and in typical fashion, we found a great place worth spending some time at while the sun was setting and we were losing our light. If I had a dollar for every time that has happened, I'd be rich.

It was boarded up at one time, but vandals in this particular area of Alberta seem to be particularly ruthless. I haven't come across any properties along this highway or nearby that are in "good" shape. All of them are suffering from the elements of nature, of course, but all of them have also taking a beating at the hands of humans. And if they haven't taken a beating, they've been used as a dumping ground. Why this seems to be worse in this particular county and the few surrounding it, I can't say.

Panels on the stairs kicked in. Not a shard of glass left in tact. Many of the walls were pelted with bullets or kicked in, too. Someone had even dumped an entire Canada Post mailbox (not a single one, I'm talking a community mailbox) in the living room here. Stolen and then discarded? Who knows. 

Was glad to see the doorknobs were all still there. They were beautiful. But all of the appliances were moved out into the yard to be used for target pratice. 

The barn seemed to have been left alone.  I was surprised to see the ladder leaning there untouched, seeing as the rest of the property was anything but untouched. Barns scare me a little bit, I won't lie. Maybe vandals feel the same. 

- A 

White Paint, Green Trim

Whenever I come across a place that's been left behind for so long that the wood has turned brown from decades of Canadian weather, I wonder what colour it was painted at one time. Or was it even painted at all?

This place did not leave me wondering. It has been empty a long time and yet the paint still hangs on. Probably because the paint was made with materials that have no business being near human beings, but that's a topic for another day. 

Just love that white paint and the green trim. This place was probably so bright and welcoming in its day.

The old tractor in the yard was a big bonus. 

I visited this place sometime in 2015. I recently connected with someone on Instagram who said he visited this place last winter and got stuck in the snow in the yard. So, can confirm it's still standing and that the paint looks just as good.

- A 

The Heartbreaker

When I come across a farmhouse like this, it's always such a joy, but also such a tragedy. Joy because the house is still standing proud and looks amazing because it hasn't been vandalized, but tragedy because a peek inside of a place that was boarded up decades ago and likely perfectly preserved inside would be a dream come true. How it looks inside is a mystery, and will remain so. Heartbreaking.

I loved this place and took my time documenting it. Something about big, perfectly square two-storey ones just gets me. Whoever still farms the land here and uses the yard and sheds to store their machinery, takes the time to cut the grass and maintain the yard site as well. A well visited yard site usually means a longer life free of destruction for these old homes.

As if this place couldn't have broke my heart enough, it proceeded to reveal the most perfect red truck. But was the red truck left in an opportune photo spot or even parked facing the right direction? Of course not. 

Break my heart, why don't you?

- A

Nightmares

I've visited enough dilapidated farmhouses in the last ten years that not much about them scares me anymore. Pigeons flying at my face, check. Angry raccoons growling and scurrying around upstairs, check. Dead deer in the living room, check. Wind rattling loose shingles and boards, check. 

But something about this place was just, creepy. It had a vibe. I still refer to it as the Nightmare House.

Was it because it was a grey day? Was it the overall creepy, worn wood look of the house? Was it the way the bushes were grown up menacingly around it? Unsure.

Even the barn gave me serious creepy vibes. I usually peek inside to see if there's any cool old farm equipment left behind. Not this time. Noped out of there after taking a few quick shots.

 I wasn't sad to leave this place. Maybe if I went back on a sunny day it might feel totally different. 

-A

Intro

I recently started posting my abandoned places photography on Instagram, and every time I went to write the caption, I found myself talking way too much. So, I decided to start a blog to give more details about my visits to every place I have found. I hope they will resonate with you the way they do with me.

- A